One genius move from Rúben Amorim paid dividends as Manchester United demolished Athletic Club with a 3-0 Europa League semi-final win on Thursday evening.
Manchester United have taken a commanding step towards the Europa League final with a dominant 3-0 win over Athletic Club in Bilbao in the first leg of their semi-final clash, putting Rúben Amorim’s side firmly in control of the tie.
Alejandro Garnacho had the ball in the net inside five minutes, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside. Both sides battled fiercely in the early stages, but it was Casemiro who broke the deadlock after a driving run and cross from Harry Maguire down the right.
Minutes later, Rasmus Højlund was brought down in the box by Dani Vivian—who was shown a straight red card—before Bruno Fernandes coolly slotted home the resulting penalty. The United captain then doubled his tally just before the break, finishing off a slick move to make it 3-0.
Athletic Club came out fighting in the second half, but Amorim’s men remained composed and disciplined, shutting down any threat and seeing out a superb win in professional fashion on Thursday night in Spain.
Amorim’s genius change pays off
Ahead of the fixture, many were surprised to see that Amorim had chosen to start Manuel Ugarte ahead of Kobbie Mainoo, and this decision further came into question after the midfielder struggled with some nervy opening touches.
However, it was not long before Amorim chose to make a tactical tweak that paid dividends as he sent Ugarte further up the field to play level with Fernandes, which allowed United to have an extra body in the attacking phases.
The 24-year-old repaid Amorim almost immediately by assisting Casemiro’s opening effort before producing a fantastic flick to assist Fernandes for his second of the night and United’s third just before half-time.
Across his 65-minute performance, Ugarte’s continued presence against Athletic Club’s back line completely killed most of their chances to break and form any momentum.
Amorim must be praised for the brave tactical change away from home, with the player creating two chances while also winning five of his seven attempted duels.
Ugarte still finding his feet at United
So far at the club, Ugarte has failed to make a consistent impact at Old Trafford, with good performances interspersed with questionable performances.
Against sides where United have had the minority of possession, such as away from home against Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal, he has been very good; however, against sides where United have dominated the ball, he has faced criticism.
However, in the last few fixtures, he has had more freedom to play with the ball at his feet. After scoring a goal against Lyon and providing two assists against Athletic Club, this will hopefully give the player more confidence.
Ugarte will always be more of a fighter than a player with natural quality on the ball, but with Casemiro ahead of him as a mentor, the midfielder has ample space to develop under a head coach who trusts him and will hopefully grow into the player Amorim believes he can be.
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